“During this exchange, Whitehead ran from Dixon’s vehicle with Dixon’s phone, and Dixon proceeded to follow Whitehead in Dixon’s vehicle, chasing him from the Walmart parking lot to the Home Depot parking lot,” police said in the news release.

Dixon then drove his Mazda over a curb separating the Home Depot from 727 E. Broad Street and continued “through a tree line and down a hill, struck and ran over Whitehead,” police said.

Monday afternoon shoppers expressed shock over the crime, and wondered why it escalated to violence.

“That’s a huge overreaction on his part, like over a cell phone. It makes you wonder what kind of frame of mind he was in at the time,” said Mark Yourcheck. “It’s certainly scary to be approached, have your vehicle approached and have private property stolen in that way, but that’s a pretty big overreaction.”

Dixon, who was charged with murder, is being held without bond at the Wake County Detention Center in Raleigh.

Court records show Dixon has a criminal history.

His first court appearance is planned for Tuesday morning.

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